A Different Type of Shanshu
by Marie Nomad
Summary: Set after 'Not Fade Away', Angel discovers the consequences of signing away the Shanshu contract. Hint: Think Smile Time BAness.
1. Out of the Rubble

This fic takes place after 'Not Fading Away'. I was reading the transcripts for that episode and I figured that signing anything involving one's destiny would cause major conflicts. This is what I think might happen. All characters belong to Josh Whedon, WB, and UPN. I am not making any money from this.

Warning: Some cursing. 

Thanks to Jennifer Marie for her help.

A Different Type of Shanshu

Part One

By Marie Nomad

There was nothing but ruins as Buffy and her friends walked through the remains of Wolfram and Hart. "Looks like there was nothing left." Buffy said as she looked around. The explosion was in the news. The devastation would have been horrifying if it weren't for the fact that all of the buildings had been cleared out by a company looking to buy them out. The only people that died were a few homeless and a bunch of lawyers. Buffy didn't feel the urge to look into this until there were reports of flying monsters going about. They hopped a private jet to LA and ended up here. After destroying the rest of the demons, the team ended up searching for survivors. The explosion had been a week ago and they were sifting through the rubble.

"That's the last of it." Willow said as she got out the rocks from her hair. "The portal has been closed and I can't sense any more evil. They did it, they actually saved the world."

"And we weren't there to help them." Buffy said regrettably. It ate at her heart that they weren't there until it was too late. She should've been there for the city for him.

"We stopped it from getting worse. Besides, they could still be alive or undead." Willow said confidentially.

"Maybe, just work on finding more survivors. I have to talk to Charles Gunn. Remind the slayers if they see any vampires that look like Angel, don't dust them. Unless they are attacking you."

"Right."

Buffy hated hospitals, they smell sterile and the doctors really never knew what was going on. Gunn was barely alive when he was found and brought to the hospital. Thanks to some slayer blood transfusion, he was healing faster than normal. She entered the private room where Gunn was lying in his robe with tubes up his nose and monitors beeping all the time.

"Hey, B." Gunn said as he smiled at her. "Did ya find anything yet?"

"Nothing."

"Oh." Buffy sat down and shook her head. "How are you feeling?"

"That slayer blood transfusion is making me much better. I'll be out of this hospital in just a day or less." Gunn said as he grinned.

"You seem to be in a good mood for someone who got stabbed in the gut." Buffy observed as she leaned back.

"Well, I've been through a lot. Stabbed in the gut before, shot at, and even had my heart taken out every day for two weeks while I was a prisoner in a hell dimension, long story. This… this is nothing."

"I'm sorry."

"Nah, don't be. It could be worse." Gunn snickered and winced in pain.

"What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know. I don't really want to be a lawyer again. I like dusting vampires and making sure the neighborhood is safe from them. When I was dusting all those vampires, my pulse was rushing and I felt alive. I will dust any vampire, except for Angel and Spike they-." Gunn stopped in mid sentence. Unfortunately, it was too late.

Buffy's jaw dropped. "Spike?! How did you know Spike? Is Spike alive?!"

"Well… yeah, sorry, he didn't want you to know." Gunn said feeling very afraid.

"Damn him. If I find him again, I don't know whether to hug him or stake him." Buffy rubbed her forehead. "Anyway, we can use someone with your abilities, would you like to stay with us?"

"Well, I'll think about it. I mean, I got stabbed in all. I need some time."

"Of course. Sure. We'll help take care of the bills. You just rest. If we find anything, I'll let you know." Buffy got up and then said, "Say, Charles-"

"Gunn, just call me Gunn."

"Gunn, has Angel ever… never mind." Buffy walked out of the room.

**XXX**

She moved the next bunch of rocks from the rubble. It was all she could do. Every time she found some ashes, she found herself wondering if it was Angel or even Spike's ashes. The pain of falling for a vampire is that when they die, all they leave behind was ashes. Nothing to make them different than the other. She lifted a slab of rock and saw a familiar looking blood covered sword. Fearing the worse, she lifted it further expecting a pile of ashes and saw a doll.

It was a muppet doll that she would expect on the now cancelled 'Smile Time' show. He was slightly worn and had on black pants, a black duster, and a blue shirt. Looking at it, only reminded him of Angel. She heaved the rock away and the sunlight went down on the doll as she picked up him and the sword.

"Angel, where are you?" Buffy wondered out loud as she stood up holding the doll to her chest.

"Buffy?"

Buffy froze as she heard the voice. The voice of the man that had haunted her dreams since she found out about the adverted Apocalypse. She looked around again and then down at the doll who was looking at her. "A-A-Angel?!"

"Hey, I'm under the sun and I'm not getting burned." The Angel Puppet said as he glanced at his hands and scowled. "Oh crap! Not again!" Buffy's jaw dropped as the puppet quickly examined his body while still in her arms. "This is a joke! A stupid joke! I can't believe they did this to me! I know that I shouldn't have signed it away but come on!" Angel moaned as he hit his head on Buffy's arm with a very soft thud. "This sucks." He looked up at Buffy again as if he just realized that she was there and said, "Oh… ah… hi."

Buffy snickered as she held on to Angel. Angel stared at her and said, "No… don't…"

At that, she couldn't hold it. She collapsed onto the ground laughing her head off. Tears of joy came down her face at the sight of Angel alive, not evil, and not a vampire. "You are so cute! So short and adorable and your hair!" She ruffled his hair.

"Hey! Don't do that!" Angel tried to push her away with little success. "Please!"

"Okay… okay." Buffy stopped and took a deep breath. "I'm just glad that you're alive or undead or… whatever muppets are. Maybe, we should have Willow take a good look at you."

"Great, but first, what about the others? Are they…"

Buffy smiled at him. "Well, Gunn is in the hospital and doing better. We gave him a transfusion of slayer blood and it is helping him. The doctors said that they never met a guy so pain tolerant before. We haven't found Spike yet… why didn't you tell me he was alive again?"

Angel looked down sheepishly and said, "You didn't ask?" Buffy scowled at him. The former vampire fiddled with his hands. "Sorry, this puppet form makes me say the stupidest punch lines. But, seriously, I thought that it was Spike's decision to tell you or not that he was alive."

"When I get him, I don't know whether to hug him or stake him."

"Ooh ooh! Stake him stake him!" Angel hopped and then put his hands over his mouth.

"Puppet thing?"

Angel nodded. "Yeah."

"We better go and get you to Willow."

**XXX**

Willow was mixing up the latest batch of healing salve in the Hyperion Hotel where they were staying. The building was still standing despite all that happened. It had what she needed and it was well stocked. It even had some pig's blood in the fridge. After closing the portal, she had been busy doing non magical stuff to help out. "Willow! I found Angel and he needs your help!"

"Really?!" The witch dashed out of the make shift medical center to see Buffy coming up with an Angel doll in her arms. She can sense the magic coming from the doll. "Oh boy."

"Tell me about it." Angel said as he pulled himself away and landed on his feet. "I think that I'm no longer a vampire but I can't really tell and I was hoping that maybe…" All of a sudden, Willow picked him up and hugged him.

"You are so cute."

"Will!" Buffy cried out and the witch blinked.

"Sorry, I can't help it. I mean, he's adorable." Willow said as she held the puppet up. "I have to wait until we get the clean up done. If that's okay with you."

Angel shrugged, "I guess. I've been through this before and I know what to expect. Besides, there's so much to do. Say, Buffy, can you take me to visit Gunn? I want to see if he's okay."

"Sure. Yeah. I'm sure he would be so thrilled to see you even if you're…"

"Oh, trust me on this, he won't be that shocked." Angel said as Buffy lifted him again. "Ummm… do you have to carry me? I can walk."

"Just so you won't attract attention." Buffy said as she patted Angel on the head.

**XXX**

Gunn was asleep peacefully as the drugs and the slayer blood worked its magic. He knew he shouldn't be too worried about his friends. He survived and he was human. He was nothing compared to the vampires and the ex-god he was fighting with. Still, those monsters wanted them more than they wanted him. They could get captured or worse. He had seen what they could do. They are sadistic creatures and the demonic ones are worse.

"Gunn…"

Gunn slowly opened his eyes at the voice. "Angel? Is that you?" He gazed up and cleared his vision. Staring back at him was a puppet version of his old boss. "Great, now I'm seeing things."

"I'm not a hallucination!" At that, Angel shook Gunn again with his felt hands. Gunn moaned his eyes shot opened and then he looked at him again.

"Angel!" Gunn grinned as he picked up the plush man and hugged him quickly.

Angel returned the hug and the much taller man set him down on his side. "How are you feeling?" The ex-vampire asked.

"Oh, I'm cool. Stab wound in gut, nothing wrong with that. But, what about you? Why are you a… puppet? Did one of those demons put a whammy on you?" Gunn asked concerned.

"No, all I remembered was collapsing after fighting the last of those monsters and waking up in Buffy's arms under the sun as a puppet. It could be the Shanshu prophesy since we just went through Armageddon."

Gunn held up his hand. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, that's impossible. Where in the Shanshu did it say that the vampire with a soul becomes a puppet?"

"Well… it might be possible… after I signed it away." Angel said hesitantly.

"WHAT?!" The two exclaimed and then a doctor walked by. Buffy quickly closed the door and whispered, "Angel, you signed your ticket to being Human. Are you nuts?!"

"Yeah! You've wanted to be Human ever since I met you." Gunn said as he was feeling frustrated at it again.

"It was so I can get full trust of the Black Thorn Circle and I… really didn't think that I would live past this." Angel looked down at his hands again. "I thought that I might change but I really… really didn't expect this."

"You can't just sign away your destiny." Buffy argued.

"Yes, he can." Gunn said his eyes became glazed as he scanned his mind for the right legal information. "According to the Demon Law Database, section 234-5382-666-02, a destiny can be erased and if the person who signs it tries to fulfill that destiny, then that person's future becomes void."

"Okay… in English?" Buffy asked as she tried to figure out what the guy just said.

"If he tries to become Human, he will die." Gunn translated.

"I'm here now!" Angel yelled.

Gunn pondered as he tried to think of any loopholes. "Yeah, say what name did you sign under?"

"Angel, what else?"

The dark skinned man sighed in relief. "Good. Because in order for someone to sign away their destiny, they have to sign under their born name or their vampire alias which isn't Angel but Angelus. If that happens, then if you tried to fulfill that destiny, you will be forced to revert back to a form you had before. Which is a puppet."

"But, why don't I have my vampire powers now? The first time, I still have my abilities." Angel was confused. He had been confused and stunned since he first woke up as a puppet.

Gunn stared out and shrugged. "Damned if I know. Man, thinking all this legal stuff is making my head hurt. I need some sleep."

"Oh, sure. Sorry. I just well…" Angel looked down feeling very guilty.

"Hey, I'm cool. I'm going to get out tomorrow. You just try to get better." Gunn held out his fist.

Angel tapped his fist with his own. "You too."

Gunn grinned as he closed his eyes and slept. Buffy picked up Angel and said, "We better go."

"Right."

Buffy glanced at Angel as she drove down to the old Hyperion. She smiled at him as she kept on driving. Finally, Angel asked, "What?"

"Nothing." Buffy sighed and then her cell phone rang. The slayer pulled into the parking lot and answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey, B, this is Vi. I found a vampire in the sewers who's English, bleach blond hair, and has a huge crush on you."

"Oh thank God, you found Spike."

"Yeah, and some strange blue demon woman who looks just like Fred! She's rambling about pain and stuff and Spike is actually protecting her."

"Good, can you get them to the Hyperion?"

"Yeah, he's a little beaten up and so is the blue demon but we'll make it."

Buffy hung up and said, "Great news, Spike's alive. Now, I can beat up on him."

"Damn it! Now, he and Illyria will see me as this!" Angel picked up a blanket and flung it over his head. Buffy shook her head. While before when Angel had to worry about the sun, she didn't mind seeing him covered up like that but now he just looked immature.

"Get yourself out of that. You can't hide under that blanket."

"I can try. Spike will laugh at me. Illyria… I don't know what she would do." Angel's muffled voice said from under the blanket.

"Who's Illyria? Is she a relative of Fred or what?" Buffy asked.

Angel took off the blanket and clutched it in his hands. "Didn't Giles tell you?" He whispered sounding hurt.

Buffy shook her head. Something in her gut told her that it was bad and for once it wasn't her Slayer's instinct.

"Illyria was an ancient god who infested Fred and killed her. It possessed her body and turned it into a shell. She's not powerful now and I don't think that she could take over the world. She helped us stop the Apocalypse."

"Wait, an ancient god was infecting Fred and you didn't say anything?! And don't say 'I didn't ask'." Buffy asked feeling very insulted that not only that Angel kept her in the dark about Spike and about Fred too.

Angel stared down and finally he said, "I did try to tell you guys. Wes tried to call Giles to get Willow to come but… he didn't trust me. You didn't trust me! No one trusts us! We work for an evil law firm now! Who cares if we were just trying to turn it into good or whatever?!" Angel sighed as he buried his head in his hands. "I'm not evil. I know that I'm not evil."

"I trust you." Buffy cooed as she patted Angel on the head awkwardly. "What made you think that I don't trust you?"

"Andrew told me when he picked up Dana."

Buffy took a deep breath. "I swear, I did not tell him that! We don't trust Wolfram and Hart as a company. I know that you would have done everything you could but there are others that could trick you or overwhelm you. Besides, don't believe a word Andrew says. He had done a bunch of evil things and he was human."

"Oh." Angel tried to smile at her and then just settled for a nod. "Sorry, I snapped. Puppet hormones."

"Do puppets even have hormones?" Buffy wondered and shook her head. "Never mind. Remind me to give Giles and Andrew a piece of my mind after we get through this."

"Gotcha."

**XXX**

He was not having a good day. On the other hand, he hasn't had a good day since the last time he died. Well, there was that Halloween Party but that was mystically induced positive thinking and maybe that day after he finally beat Angel to a pulp but that was it. Spike winced as Willow mended his wounds. He was bothered. In the great smackdown for all, he lost his link with Angel. It wasn't a real deep link like he had with Drusilla but he could sense when his grandsire was alive or dead. The connection was broken and he felt nothing. That either means that Angel was dead or that he was no longer a vampire. And since he was stupid enough to actually sign any chance for humanity away, he must have been dead. He had spent a week trying to find out what happened to the others and keeping an eye on Illyria.

"You know, Buffy was mad when she found out that you're not dead." Willow said as she finished the bandages.

"I'm still dead just not dusted yet." Spike glanced at Illyria who was shaking. "Hey, Blue, are you holding up?"

"My mind… The Wolf, Ram, and Hart had weakened. The chains have lessened… a cry echoes throughout my being. I am she and yet I am not." Illyria gazed at him. "Am I still here?"

Willow stared at her and said, "Fred? What did they do to you?"

"You knew the vessel that housed my essence. You are the spellcaster help me with this pain. I wish to get rid of this pain since my guide died. I made the armies pay with my pain and crushed their spines yet I need more." Illyria said as she held her hands over her stomach.

"That's grief, Blue, it's normal." Spike said as he glanced at her.

"I do not wish to endure this grief."

"We all don't."

"Wait a second, you're not Fred?" Willow said as she tried to comprehend what happened.

"No, she's not." Buffy said as she walked in with Angel walking behind her. He hid behind her legs and she felt it. The little guy was too embarrassed to let anyone else know that he was puppet sized. "She's an ancient god who possessed Fred and well… killed her."

"What?! If she's an evil entity then why is she still here?" Willow exclaimed and then looked at Illyria. "No offense."

"I am not offended. This existence is nothing compared to what I was before. I was all powerful with armies groveling at my feet and the power to do anything I desire. Now, I am little more than human with feelings of pain that I do not want."

"It's grief, it's normal." Angel spoke up and then everyone looked down at him. "Crap."

Spike's eyes widened as if his heart was working, it would have been pounding. "You're…"

Angel scowled at him and turned away. "Don't say it."

At that, he couldn't resist himself. "You're a bloody puppet, again!" He laughed and Angel launched at his throat. The puppet landed on top of the vampire and started hitting him on the face. Spike landed on his back and laughed.

"What's wrong the Shanshu thing didn't work out?" Spike laughed as he grabbed Angel by the neck and flipped him over. With his free hand, he pulled off Angel's nose. "Got cha nose!"

"Gib dat back!" Angel cried out as he tried to jump for it but it was out of his reach. Then, he went to a drawer and got out a huge stake, well it was huge for him, and marched to Spike.

Buffy came up to the two and said, "Stop it! Spike, give Angel back his nose! Angel put down the stake. Honestly, can't you two be more mature?"

Angel put down the stake and put it in the drawer and Spike toss the nose back to the puppet. "I'm just glad it wasn't me." He glanced at Buffy and said, "Hello, Luv."

Buffy marched up and punched him in the eye. "Why didn't you tell me that you're not dead?! I mean as in dead, ashes dead, not dead as in undead dead!"

"Well, I thought about it and I really wanted to see you again but how would it look if I come back after my blaze of glory and said, 'I'm back?'"

"Well… you should've at least called. I really am glad that you're back to being undead again." Buffy said as she smiled slightly at him.

"Glad to be back, Luv. So, are you still shacking up with the Immortal?"

"Spike!" Angel screamed as he reached for his stake again.

"Just asking."

"No, Morty and I kinda just broke up. He was fun but he tends to flirt too much."

"Oh good." Spike and Angel said at once.

"He was evil." Angel spoke up.

"Oh yeah, he was an annoying playboy who's caused Poof Puppet over here and me a lot of pain even while we were evil!"

"What did Morty do to you?" Buffy asked intrigued.

"He chained us up and slept with Darla and Drusilla." Angel replied.

"Uh huh."

"At once."

Buffy paled and shook her head. "Okay, enough. Get the images out of my head. That is so disgusting." Then she saw Illyria who was staring at Angel. "Illyria?"

Illyria glanced down to see Angel. "The half-breed's new form is so cute."

"Huh?" Angel said at the strangely uncharacteristic way Illyria was gazing at him.

"I have this sudden urge to hold you to my body." Illyria said as she pounced on the puppet and held him to her chest. "This comforts me. I like it. I want to keep this half breed animated life form and keep him as my intimate companion."

"No! Absolutely not!" Buffy yelled at the top of her lungs. "You can't have him! He's mine!" The slayer blushed as she put her hand on her mouth. Did she just say that out loud?

Illyria gazed at Angel and then at Buffy. All of a sudden, the ex-god dropped the puppet and held her head. "My head aches, the chains lessen. I… I…"

Willow sensed the power rising. "Everyone, get down!!!" She boomed and the group ran to side.

A bright light came out of the blue woman and Fred appeared beside her. "Wow, that was interesting." Fred said as she looked around. "Willow!"

"Fred?" Willow exclaimed.

"Fred! You're alive!" Angel gushed as he ran up and jumped at her only to go through her form. "Maybe not." He said as he pulled himself up.

"You're… a ghost!" Spike said as he came up and put his hand through Fred's arm. He remembered back when he showed up as a ghost. It was hard for him and Fred was one of the few people who was trying very hard to help him without expecting anything back.

"Yeah." Fred said as she felt herself and then looked down at Angel. "Angel, are you okay? I'm so sorry that Illyria was trying to claim you. I think that she just wanted you as a friend."

"So, you know what happened after you died?" Spike asked.

"Well, I don't know how but I just know. I think that I have some kind of mental link with Illyria here. I know that I wasn't there but I can just pick up information from her mind especially those when she was me. Then, I felt myself getting clearer and ended up here." Fred shook her head. "I never really thought that I would be a ghost. I mean, I always wanted powers like flying or super strength but I never thought that I would get powers until after I die."

"Your soul has not been burned up by my resurrection?" Illyria asked curiously, "It is odd that I could not sense you."

"Well, your level of thinking is so much higher than me that you probably don't even know that my soul is okay just trapped but enough about me what happened to Angel? He's a… puppet. And Charles, he's okay right?" Fred asked as she turned her attention to her friend.

"Gunn's fine, he's recovering at the hospital. He'll be out in just a couple of days." Buffy explained, "Angel… well, we figured that his shanshu didn't turn out right."

"Whoa, his shanshu didn't work out right?" Willow asked, "Destinies don't change like that. Unless that the person signed their destiny away under a different name in blood."

"Who would be stupid enough to… oh." Fred said as she looked down at Angel who was scuffling his feet. "Sorry."

"It's okay. Gunn will be very happy to see you. He felt really bad for what happened." Angel said as he remembered how Gunn and everyone else felt after Fred had died. Gunn felt especially bad since he let the sarcophagus in through customs. He knew that it wasn't really his fault but he knew from past experience that Gunn needed redemption.

"Yeah, I know."

Willow watched the scene. Right now, hell had finished breaking loose, a vampire champion had been turned into an adorable muppet, and a woman who was possessed by a powerful and possibly evil entity died and somehow became a ghost while the entity is living. She had her work cut out for her. "Maybe we should take a good look at them."

**XXX**

Buffy watched as Willow finished her spiritual examination of Angel. They had to make sure that he was in no danger of becoming anything evil like Angelus although that a evil puppet is less than a threat than a real vampire, unless they watched the Chucky movie series.

"Well, you are definitely not a vampire any more." Willow said as she finished her chant. "I also don't sense the vampire demon entity within you either. So, if you lose your soul, you become a normal puppet."

"whew At least you don't have to worry about me becoming Angelus again." Angel said optimistically, "So, can you make me into a real man again?"

"Well… that's the other thing. You have no curse on your body whatsoever. Not the gypsy curse or any other spell. It's like you were born a puppet."

Spike snickered and said, "Are you sure you weren't like that when Darla turned you?"

Angel screamed as he held up a stake. "I was not born a puppet!"

"I know… I know…" Willow cooed as she pulled the stake away from the former vampire. "I mean, a higher power made that form a permanent form for you. I don't think that you could lose your soul now. I could try to turn you back into being a vampire or even a human but there's no telling what might happen."

"No, don't risk it for now. I don't want to make things worse than it was already. I guess I can get used to this, I mean, no more cravings for blood, no more fearing sunlight and crosses, no more in danger of losing my soul... I'll be fine." Angel sighed as he gazed out. He didn't like being a puppet but being a cute puppet was much better than being a super evil vampire. Besides, he didn't feel like fighting right now.

"Awww…" Fred cooed as she came up and put her hands through Angel's body. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I've been worse." Angel shrugged.

"We won't give up, Angel. We'll find a way around this." Willow promised. "Now, Fred, Illyria, you two are… tied together. Like spiritual Siamese twins."

"I get it. I've been through that when I was in that stupid amulet." Spike said, "I couldn't get out of LA in my ghost form, I keep on having to go back to Wolfram and Hart. It was fun annoying the Wee Puppet Poof over here but it was annoying. I can teach you to do stuff. Helped you like you helped me."

"That would be great." Fred said in relief, "This ghost thing is troublesome but someone with experience in the field will really be of service."

Willow and Buffy watched in amazement. Spike, the same vampire who had done so much pain, had actually willingly offered helped another woman. Angel wasn't that surprised. He saw how Fred treated Spike and how much Spike actually trusted her with his fate. Illyria gazed down. "I have no guide for this world. Wesley died and I cannot bring him back. I am alone in this world."

Fred looked at her and sighed. She knew that she should hate Illyria for what she did. But, after being in her for so long, she could emphasize with her. "I can be your guide. I know what it's like to be in a world where… things are different. People don't see you as what you are and you can't do as much as you want here."

"You wish to help me, even if I am the reason you are in your ghostly state? Do you wish to regain your body?"

"Yeah, but… but you've done so much for Wes and he believed in you. I can't let his work be in vain. Besides, I always wanted a sister!" Fred gushed.

"Sister? You are odd and yet you made sense." Illyria said as her lips twitched.

Angel put his hands on his face as he shook and said, "This is so touching!" He took a deep breath and calmed down. "Puppet hormones."

"Right." Buffy nodded.

Fred glanced at Willow. "Do puppets have hormones?"

"I don't know."

To Be Continued…


	2. Angel vs A Bunch of Slayers

Disclaimer: All characters are owned by Josh Whedon, WB, and any other station that is hosting Angel right now.

Rating: PG

Warnings: Minor cussing.

Summary: After Not Fading Away, Angel discovers the consequences of signing his Shanshu away incorrectly.

I also took some facts from the fic 'A Day in the Life of Puppet Angel' by Michael Weaver with his permission. A fic I highly recommend for anyone who loves Puppet Angel.

A Different Type of Shanshu

Part Two

By Marie Nomad

"I'm telling you, I don't need you to carry me." Gunn said as he walked with his crutches up the stairs. The doctors had let him out early and they were still amazed at how pain resistant he had been. Gunn just told him that he came from the ghettos and that was good enough for them. Ironically, it wasn't until he moved in into that lush Wolfram and Hart that he felt the most pain, both physically and mentally. The doctors let him out early just in the afternoon, he wanted to surprise everyone.

"I know that." Faith said as she walked beside him. She had been in Africa for a while and when she heard about the mysterious LA attack, she rushed right in to help out. She had been busy helping the survivors and hunting down any demons that who might want to hurt her friends. The slayer looked at him and asked, "Wes is really dead?"

"Yeah, he's dead. We cremated him ourselves, just to make sure he doesn't become a zombie or anything like that. You know, Wes is my bud but well, I don't want him to come back as an undead."

"Oh, that makes complete sense." Faith quipped. She sighed, "I miss him."

"Me too. At least the others are okay. B said that Spike and Illyria's fine but that's no surprise. Angel's good too."

"I can't wait to see Angel again. After that crazy mind meld thingy and you two working for Evil Inc. You're not evil right because if you are, I have to kill you."

"No, I'm not evil. I'm a street fighter turned unemployed corporate lawyer." Gunn paused, "Wait a second, aren't you still a fugitive?"

"Riley and Willow erased my criminal record. I've done my time and I helped saved the world. I think that's enough."

Gunn took a deep breath. "Maybe."

"How's Angel? Has he been… shanshued yet?"

"Well... he's fine. You don't have to worry about him." Gunn snickered as he thought about his now pint sized boss. Seeing him made his day, hell, it made his year.

Faith cocked an eyebrow. "What was so funny? Every time I mentioned Angel you snicker."

"You… you have to see it for yourself, Faith. Trust me, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Ummm… excuse me, did I hear right?" The two looked up to see a teenaged boy with dark hair came up. "Angel's alive?"

"Yeah, who the hell are you?" Faith asked.

Gunn stared at him and grinned. "Oh yeah. You're that kid with the super natural powers. I remember you. Funny, you just seem to stick out in my mind."

"Yeah, funny how things are like that. I'm Connor Riley and I'm a… friend of Angel's." Connor grinned hesitantly, "Anyway, can I see him?"

"Sure." Gunn said quickly. "But, I gotta warn you, he's not himself."

Connor paled. "He's Angelus?"

"No! No! He's definitely not Angelus. He's still Angel just looks different." Gunn waved his hand and then he asked, "How did you know about 'Angelus'?"

"Who doesn't know about Angelus?" Connor said as he sweatdropped. "Look, I just want to make sure he's okay."

"Right. This way." Gunn said as he gestured to the doors. The three walked in and their jaws dropped in astonishment. Gunn who had thought was not going to be shocked saw Fred and Illyria at once in the same room with Fred trying to play chess with Angel who was sitting on a pile of old phone books.

"Just mind over mater, Luv." Spike whispered, "Just focus."

"Right." Fred held up her hand and concentrated. The white knight got knocked over. "Damn! It looked so much easier on Ghost."

"You'll get it. Spike got it… eventually." Angel said comfortingly.

Connor and Faith also stared at the sight and Faith just gasped. Buffy saw the three standing there still staring. "Hi!"

Faith stared at Angel and choked out, "A-Angel?! What the hell happened to you?!"

Angel sighed in relief. Faith was the first woman who wasn't gushing about how cute he looked.

"Yeah! You're… a muppet!" Connor exclaimed, "Those Wolfram and Hart guys are evil."

"Muppet…" Faith paled slightly and then shook her head. Spike glanced at her and smirked. The slayer scowled and turned away. Vampires can smell fear and love to exploit it.

"You okay? You're scared." Spike said as he snickered and then glanced at Angel.

"No, I'm not." Faith denied as she crossed her arms.

Gunn came up to the ghostly Fred. For once, he could barely complete a sentence. "Fred? What… how?"

The woman shrugged. "I don't know. I just popped out. I'm a ghost and I can sense Ria but I'm fine. For a ghost which is really cool."

The man limped forward and put his hand up. Tears filled his eyes. He had lost one of his best friends and now he had just regained someone that he thought was gone forever. "I thought your soul was destroyed. I thought I will never see you again."

Fred put her hand up next to Gunn's and smiled again. "It's okay. It's not your fault. You didn't know. I was letting my curiosity get the best of me, as usual."

Gunn stared at her. He wanted to cry, he wanted to scream, he wanted to get onto his knees and thanked every good entity there was. "I… I'll do everything I can to make you normal again. I won't let you get into Hell."

"Thanks." Fred said as she smiled, "I'll be fine. Spike is helping me with this ghost thing, in fact, I've been training with An-" She looked down to see the puppet and Connor missing. "Where did they go? Oh no!" She ran off and through the wall.

"She is concerned." Illyria said as she stood up.

"About what?" Gunn asked, "You knew Connor, he's okay."

The ex god stared at him. "How fallible human memories are." She got up and walked out of the room.

**XXX**

Connor and Angel sat in one of the empty rooms. "Dad, what happened to you? You look like someone from 'Smile Time'."

"Shanshu gone wrong. That's it." Angel replied as he sat there. "So, what are you doing here?"

"I was making sure you were alive or undead or… animated." Connor replied, "I went home just to make sure the Rileys are okay and I tried to look for you but there were all these cute girls running around."

"They're slayers, be careful. They may be small but they are built to kill vampires." Angel warned.

"I know. I know. I got your gift, that's a lot of money." Connor said, "Where did you get it?"

"It was your college fund. I got it from a group of demons who… it's a long story. Anyway, it was yours from the beginning. I felt that at least you should have it if not for your college but for a house payment or something like that."

"Thanks."

There was a sudden sigh of relief and the two looked up. "Fred?" Angel called out, "Are you there?"

Fred stepped through the wall and waved. "Hi. I… we noticed you two disappeared and I thought… well…"

"I'm fine, really." Angel said confidently, "Go ahead."

Fred glanced at Connor again and then nodded. "Okay. I'll go but please go back down to the lobby soon." She walked back through the wall.

Connor recognized the look of unease. "She remembered?"

"Illyria was in the room. Fred must've regained the memories when it happened. I'll talk to her. I need you to be careful now. Live a normal life, well, as normal as you could."

"Sure." Connor said as he grinned, "I'll just go with the internship I got going."

"You do that."

They got up and Connor looked down and said, "Sorry, but I have to do it." The guy knelt down and patted his father on the head.

Angel sighed, "Just don't carry me. I can walk."

**XXX**

"I'm telling you, I smelled fear while the Puppet Poof was here." Spike insisted as they waited for Angel and Connor to get back.

"I am not afraid of puppets. I am a Slayer. I slay vampires with a passion." Faith argued as her fists tensed up.

Buffy smiled at her but didn't say a word. While the idea of Faith being afraid of something was amusing, she didn't want to tease her.

"Hi." Angel said as he walked through the door. Faith jumped and then took a deep breath. "Are you okay? Did a demon attack while I was gone?" He glanced around nervously.

"No, nothing like that." Fred said as she sat in a chair. "Where's Connor?"

"He had to leave so he went out the back." Angel replied. In reality, he didn't want Connor to be exposed to any more dangerous mystical stuff and the sooner he left, the sooner his son can have a real normal life with real normal memories.

"Good." Fred sighed in relief.

"What's your problem with the kid?" Gunn asked confused. "I never saw you act so edgy around a guy."

"She has her reasons, let her be." Illyria said to Fred's defense. At that, Gunn just stopped. If Illyria was protecting her, Fred must have a good reason to be wary of Connor.

"She's right." Angel said fully agreeing. He looked up at Faith and said, "So, are you okay? You're shaking."

"I'll be fine. Really." Faith took a deep breath and summoned every ounce of courage she had.

"Okay." Angel couldn't help but feel uneasy and yet a little comforted. Faith was seriously unnerved by his appearance. 250 years of being a fierce vampire had taught him how to tell when people are uneasy around him. He couldn't understand why. He was not a vampire and he didn't have the same level of power he had when he was Angelus. Heck, he was a felt puppet, how threatening can he be?

Thankfully, before anyone could react, Andrew walked in. "I'm back. I'm sorry it took me a while to get back." He said as he glanced at Spike. "Spike! Like Spock, you had risen from the ashes again." He greeted as he came up and hugged Spike.

Spike fought the urge to bit the guy's neck. It was bad enough that he was told to get lost while in Rome and now he was being hugged again. Andrew let go and saw Angel. "He's adorable! A real muppet from Smile Time! Where did you come from, little one?" Andrew reached up to pick him up.

Angel bopped him in the nose and made Andrew drop him onto the floor. Despite his now miniature size and the lack of vampire strength he still packs a punch. "Don't call me 'little one' and what do you mean by 'Smile Time'?"

Andrew's jaw dropped. "Angel?! Who did this to you?"

The vampire turned puppet just crossed his arms. "I'm not talking to you."

"Are you upset with me about Rome?" Andrew asked in a sweet cooing voice. Angel just scowled and kept on looking away. It was bad enough that he was actually seen on Smile Time by someone he knew but to be treated like he had a brain of a five year old was not acceptable.

"He's been through a lot and he's sensitive about his condition." Buffy said, "I need to have a word with you, alone." The slayer took Andrew by the ear. "Excuse me." She took the guy to the other room.

Spike put his ear to the door. Fred walked up and stared at it. The vampire whispered, "Okay, Luv, all you have to do is focus and you can listen anywhere without being seen."

"No thanks."

Angel watched and then curiously looked at the door. He fought the urge to go there and eavesdrop. He turned his head several times and head for the door. He strained to listened at the door but heard only muffles. At that moment, he really wished he had his vampire hearing back. All of a sudden, Angel jumped back and let Andrew come in looking rattled followed by Buffy.

"I was just worried." Andrew said sheepishly. "I mean, Angel is evil."

"Was evil." Angel spoke up as he raised his hand. "I'm going to go and get myself something to eat." He said as he walked off to the kitchen.

Gunn called out, "Need help? Those shelves are pretty high."

"No thanks! I'm just going to fix a sandwich."

"He could eat?" Buffy asked amazed. While she knew about Angel's resistance to sunlight and possibly anything holy, she never thought that he would need to eat.

"Yeah, well, I think so. When he was a vampire puppet, he got hungry like any other… vampire." Gunn said as he thought of those very funny days after the puppet fiasco.

"How can I forget? I caught him stalking and trying to eat my poor Feigenbaum." Fred said as she blushed, "The poor guy was so hungry. So, I offered him Feigenbaum so he could eat. But he refused since he didn't want to eat anyone I know."

"Who's Feigenbaum?" Buffy asked.

"My stuffed bunny, a friend of mine since childhood."

Buffy chuckled at the thought of a puppet Angelus stalking a stuffed bunny. All of a sudden, there was a crash and Angel screamed, "Stupid jar!"

"I'll be back." Buffy said as she got up and then she pointed out. "Don't follow me." She ordered firmly as she walked out.

She ran to the kitchen to see Angel lying on his back with a jar of crunchy peanut butter on his chest. "Being short sucks." Angel muttered as he sat up with the jar in his hands.

"Are you okay?" Buffy asked as she fought the urge to snicker at the sight of her ex-boyfriend in puppet form struggling with a jar of peanut butter.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Don't feel a thing." Angel replied as he got up and looked at his jar. "Buffy? Can you open this for me? My hands kept on slipping." He asked as sweetly as possible as he held out his jar.

Buffy had to bit her lip as she took the jar. Opening a jar with felt hands must be like opening a jar with a pair of wool gloves. "Sure." Buffy slowly opened the jar. It was a snap for her thanks to her slayer strength but she didn't want to make it too easy for him. "Here you go." She said as she finally opened the jar and handed it back to him. "The other slayers must've tightened it too much again."

"Right." Angel said as he climbed up to the counter and got out the knife and bread. He sat on top of the counter as he made his sandwich.

"So, what can puppets eat?"

"Well, I did some experimentation the last time. I can drink blood but I craved cotton and stuffing more. I could also drink alcohol and other things. I could eat normal food but they don't taste right. So, I'm hoping that I have some sense of taste." Angel explained as he smeared the peanut butter onto the bread.

"Why crunchy peanut butter?" Buffy asked curiously.

Angel stiffened. He remembered the forgotten day very well. It was the only day that he spent as a human, the day that ached at him for the longest time. Only Doyle and the Oracles knew about what happened and they were dead. "I felt like it." He simply replied as he took a bite. "Hmmm… I can actually taste it. It tastes like peanut butter. I can eat."

Buffy jumped up and hugged him. "That's great." She cooed and then she let go. "Sorry."

"No, don't be." Angel shook his head. He wanted her to hold her longer. Part of him, which may be the cute snuggly part, wanted to snuggle up with her on some lonely night. No, he can't. It might have been right years ago, maybe even just a few months ago but not now.

"What this up here?" Buffy looked in to see a plate of brownies. She touched it and it was as hard as stone. "There are some really old brownies over here."

"Let me see." Angel put his sandwich down and saw the brownies. "Cordy's brownies… she made a batch of them for Fred, Wes, and Gunn and well, they hid them over there. They didn't want to hurt her feelings and I guess we just forgot about them." He sighed. Was it that long ago that they had been together happy? Before Darla came back into their lives with Connor, before Wesley kidnapped his son and handed him to the enemy, before Cordelia became possessed by an evil entity bent on destroying the world?

Buffy saw how sad her ex-boyfriend was and put the brownies away. "You missed them don't you?"

Angel gazed upwards. "Every day. Wes and Cordy changed from back when you knew them. Wes got stronger, more confident; he even managed to pose as me. Cordy, she was strong and very unselfish in her own way. They didn't deserve to suffer so much."

The slayer came up and put her hand around his shoulders. "Hey, I've been dead too, remember? If they had changed like you said, then they're in a heavenly dimension and at peace."

"I hope so. They deserve it." Angel gazed up at her.

"Awww, how cute!"

The two looked up to see a couple of slayers standing there. Buffy recognized them as the newer slayers; a set of twins that gained the power at the same time. They were blond haired and blue eyed who were identical in every way. "Jessi, Jamie, this is Angel."

"It's a muppet or puppet." Jessi said as she came up and picked him up. "Is he a demon because he's the cutest demon I had ever seen?"

"I'm not a demon! Well, not any more. At least, I don't think I am. It's complicated!" Angel yelled as he pulled away and turned around feeling very embarrassed.

"Girls, leave him alone. He's… under a spell. Sorta. Please." Buffy said as she stared at them.

"Sure, hope you feel better." Jamie said as the twins walked off.

Angel sighed in relief. "Thanks. Those girls really listened to you."

"Well, I was their senior. Many of the girls don't know what happened when they became Slayers. There's only so many watchers and… they need someone who's been there, who's done that. Might as well be me."

"Whatever happened to wanting to be normal?" Angel asked.

"Normal is relative."

"I see." Angel fidgeted again. "I need to get something to drink." He climbed up to counter and got out a paper cup. Buffy reached into the fridge and got out some milk. Angel glanced at the drink and said, "Thanks. I can handle things from here." He heaved the milk and poured it. Thankfully, the milk container was a half gallon one and he didn't want to risk spilling the milk all over. Buffy watched and then she looked away. Angel was still sensitive about his new form and she had done her deed for the day. Besides, she still had to figure out a way that more teenage slayers won't start cooing at the sight of a moving muppet.

Angel sat on top of the counter eating and drinking his milk. His feet were dangling off of the edge swinging idly as he drank his milk through a straw. He glanced up to see Fred standing there watching. "Sorry." Fred said sheepishly as she walked up. "So, that was Buffy. She seems nice."

"Yeah, she is." Angel said as he nodded.

"Do you still well… ummm…"

"Kinda hard to say. She and I had a very complicated relationship. I offered her my hand but she told me that she wasn't done 'baking' yet." Angel replied as he glanced at his hands. "I'm not exactly ready for 'eating'."

"I see." Fred said as she leaned back. Angel told Wesley about the whole 'cookie' thing after he came back. Wesley told her about it. "Would you want to 'eat' if that's possible?"

"Not really…" Angel sighed and whispered in her 'ear', "let's just say that I lost more than my fangs."

Fred's jaw dropped and then she looked at Angel's pants. It wasn't possible and yet it made sense. "Oh no."

"Oh yeah."

"You didn't tell us before."

"Well, Spike was there and he was already having a ball about me being a puppet." Angel complained and then gazed at her.

"I won't say a word." Fred vowed. She respected Spike, there was something about him that just made her feel good. Of course, she also respected Angel, he was her shining knight who saved her from the Hell Dimension. Nothing will ever change that, even if he was now a cute plush puppet.

"Good." Angel nodded and started eating again.

"Oh my god. That is an adorable puppet." Another teenage slayer said as she came in. She had red hair and green eyes and she cooed at Angel. A few more teenage girls appeared and Angel inched away.

"Oh shit." The puppet jumped down and rushed off and the girls chased after him.

**XXX**

Rupert Giles, former watcher, now head instructor and researcher pulled into the driveway of the Hyperion hotel. He had heard of what happened with the Black Thorn Circle by Wesley. Wesley had changed on him. He could see it in his eyes; the former watcher was no longer the book boy who was green but a skilled fighter, a man who could dabble in the dark arts. He had been on the dark side and been through many things. Wesley had even betrayed his own friends because of an prophesy that was misinterpreted. Then, Angel managed to make everyone forget about his son. If it weren't for the diaries he had kept, he would not have remembered anything about the miracle child.

Giles never could trust them after they sold their souls to the lawfirm. After that, he had to keep the slayers distance from them. The new slayers are too naïve, too green. Wolfram and Hart could corrupt them or worse. Despite their pleas for help, he kept Willow and the others from knowing. If they know, they would just jump in and help. Now, he was wondering if he had made that mistake. He had made mistakes like this before. It wasn't his fault that he hates vampires, he was trained to hate vampires.

He got out of the car and heard some rustling in the bushes. Taking out his knife, Giles glanced around. "Who's there?"

Tina, a new slayer came out of the bush. Her long hair was covered in twigs and her pants were caked with dust. She asked, "Have you seen a muppet running around?"

"Muppet?" Giles repeated as he put away his knife. He had dealt with a villainous dummy once or twice and possessed dolls but demonic muppets?

"Yeah, I thought I saw him hiding out here. He's an adorable puppet about three feet tall and has the funniest hair." Tina gushed.

"I do not!" A very familiar voice rang out and Giles and Tina saw a three foot tall muppet hiding in the shadows. Giles' jaw dropped at the sight. None of his watcher training and experience prepared him for that. Tina squealed and Angel let out nervous eep. Angel dashed off and Tina ran after him.

"I found him! This way!"

Giles picked up his jaw and looked around wondering if there was some weird errant spell. He came up to the door and saw Spike was sitting at a window with a camera in his hand. "Man! That tiny guy can run fast."

"It would be great if you could go out and save him." Gunn said as he watched beside him.

"Can't, bright outside. I'll be a crispy critter. What about you, Charlie boy?"

"I can barely walk."

The two sat there and finally Spike suggested, "So, we just bet on who can catch Puppet Poof first?"

Gunn nodded. If he was told five years ago that he would be betting with a vampire about who would get Angel, he would've gave him a black eye. On the other hand, if he was told that he was going to be a lawyer for Wolfram and Hart, he would've given the guy two black eyes. He glanced up to see an older man standing there wearing spectacles.

Spike recognized him instantly. "Giles." He said as he straightened up. He didn't know what to think of the Watcher. Giles was a decent human but he ignored them just when they needed help the most. He could attack him but Buffy would hate him for that and he wanted to get on her good side again.

"So, it's the guy." Gunn said as he glared at him. He wasn't the type to hide his grudges. When he gets mad at someone or something, he shows it. He had done it to Angel when he fired him. He had done it to Wes when he… did something he was sure he was pissed off about. He had done it to himself when he sold his soul. Now, he will do it to this guy for ignoring their pleas for help.

"Giles, I'm glad you made it." Buffy said as she came up. "We're working on the… aftershocks of the last Apocalyptic battle. Have you seen Angel?"

"Yes, how did he become a… puppet?" Giles asked as he tried to look around.

"Shanshu gone wrong. For once, I'm glad I wasn't the guy." Spike said as he peeked through the window again. He saw Angel rushing by with several eager slayers at his heels. "Look at him go!"

"Maybe he retained his former vampire speed." Gunn said as he watched the puppet do another lap around the hotel.

"He's nowhere near as fast as he used to be." Spike shook his head.

Buffy nearly laughed at the sight of her ex-boyfriend being chased around and him showing real fear. Finally, she asked, "Can someone go and get Angel out of that mess?"

"Ummm… Ria, can you go and get Angel away from them?" Fred asked her 'twin' who was watching as well.

"If that is your desire." Illyria said as she opened a window, stuck out her arm, and pulled Angel back in.

"That was close." Angel said as the former god put him onto the couch. "Thanks."

"You were being elusive from those girls despite they wanted to worship you. Why did you avoid them?" Illyria asked confused.

"I'm shy." Angel replied as he dusted himself off. He didn't like the idea of being chased after by a horde of slayers despite the fact that he was not a vampire again. Maybe it was their squealing, or his embarrassment but he didn't want to deal with a group of super strong teenage girls.

Giles cleared his throat and said, "Ummm… hello, Angel."

Angel turned around and saw Giles there staring at him. The puppet felt anger rising in him again. He turned around and crossed his arms. While he couldn't hurt Giles in any way, especially since he was no longer a vampire, he could still give him the worse kind of punishment.

"Angel, what happened to you?" Giles asked as he stepped forward curious about the vampire's new form. Angel just frowned and faced away from him. "Hello? Can you hear me?"

Fred watched the puppet and shook her head. "He can. He's just giving you the silent treatment."

The watcher rolled his eyes in disbelief. Angelus, the scourge of Europe, the man who had tormented him and killed his girlfriend, was giving him the silent treatment like a child. "Are you that mad at me?" He asked again.

Angel just frowned and kept on staring off.

"Angel is… more emotional in this state." Fred explained to Giles, "So, he's more reactive."

"Right now, I'm surprised that he wasn't attacking you right now." Buffy said as she crossed her arms. "Why didn't you tell me or at least Willow that Fred needed help?!"

"Ummm…" Giles took off his glasses and cleaned them. "I really thought that it was a trap. Besides, our organization is fragile; we couldn't form any alliances with anyone evil."

"Ha!" Angel laughed as he slouched down and shook with anger. He became very still again.

"I know that you're not evil." Buffy said as she sat down to try to cheer up the puppet by massaging his shoulders. She glared at Giles with the type of glare that made even the most brave demons skitter away. She mouthed 'apologize'.

Giles put on his glasses and sighed. He did owe the puppet and his friends an apology and they did seem hurt about what happened. He sat down onto the floor to look him in the eye. "Angel, I know that you try your best to be good and I just… I was scared. I just thought that Wolfram and Hart had done something to you to make you and your friends lose your judgment or perhaps your very souls. I was just trying to protect Buffy and the others. Can you forgive me?"

Angel tilted his head and his scowl lessened. He hated him with a passion but he was Buffy's friend. The puppet was not in the position to make more enemies. He gestured to Fred and said, "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

"Of course." Giles stood up and held out his hand at Fred. "Fred… I'm sorry for not being able to help you. How are you feeling?"

"Fine, for a ghost." Fred said as she put her hand through his. Giles paled but not from the sight of the ghost but the thought that he could be somewhat responsible for what happened to her. "I'm okay, really. Spike was a ghost and he's solid again but that was because of evil forces. But, with Ria, I think I can figure out a way to get this straightened out."

"I'm sure that the council's resources could help." Giles said as he pulled his hand away.

"You are like him." Illyria said as she stepped forward. "Your manner, your aura is that similar to Wesley'. You will help us find our way?"

"Yes." Giles said as he nodded toward the ex-god. Illyria was too much like the long departed Anya. He had to wonder how many more ex-gods are out there waiting to become mortals. Yet, she was fascinating since she was an ancient god. Maybe, he can find out more and make it up to Fred at the same time.

The others watched the scene and Gunn nodded. Of all the people who should've suffered, Fred was the most forgiving. That was her nature, she loved like that. Only she would actually try to help the entity that booted her out of her body and made her into a ghost. "So, what are you going to do?" Fred asked Gunn.

"I don't know. Maybe I can help you guys out with the vampire stuff or if you need a good lawyer. I know about every human and demon law out there. And I could also help out with training the slayers. I may not be a slayer but I can kick vampire ass. Just wait until I'm a hundred percent then you can see what I can do. What about you?" Gunn looked over at Spike.

The vampire shrugged. "I'm sticking around. I have to help out these two and get ready for the next Apocalypse. I'm getting better at this, still undead but still kicking. Next time, I might even be a real boy." He looked at Angel and added, "And I won't screw up like Peaches here."

Angel crossed his arms and turned away. "I did not screw up my Shanshu."

"Oh really." Spike reached over and took Angel's right ear. He held it up and asked, "Then, what's this?"

"Give that back!" Angel screamed as he reached into his coat and got out a stake.

"Boys!" Buffy yelled as she marched up and took Angel's ear back. She handed it to the puppet and then took the stake and held it in her hands. "Can't you two be more mature? This is the second time I had to do this!"

"They're always like this when they're in the same room." Gunn laughed, "You should see them when you're not there." He winced slightly at the pain but it was worth it.

Buffy shook her head. It was no secret that Spike and Angel hated each other. In fact, she was surprised that they were working together for several months without dusting each other. Now, they are acting like a pair of teenagers. Then, she glanced at Angel who was putting his ear back on. "What about you, Angel?"

Angel stared at her and said, "I don't always act that way with Spike."

"No, I mean, what are you going to do?" Buffy asked and then wondered what he could do. He couldn't blend in as a normal human being. The only place he could fit in was Sesame Street ™.

Angel shrugged and was about to open his mouth when Tina popped in. "Found you!"

"GAH!" Angel skittered away and Buffy glared at Tina.

"What?"

**XXX**

The sun was setting as Buffy came to the roof to see Angel sitting on the top with sketchbook in his tiny hands. "I thought I might find you here." The woman said as she walked up. "Enjoying the sun or hiding?"

"Both but yeah I wanted to get up here and draw the sunset. I tried to draw it but… my motor skills aren't all that good and all I can use was markers." Angel said as he held up his sketchbook to reveal a colorful sunset made with markers. It wasn't his usual ultra realistic charcoal drawings but it was nice.

"It's… nice." Buffy sat down besides him.

"Well, it's not at all like I used to do but maybe I can relearn how to draw." Angel sighed as he stared at his hands again.

"Well, you seem to be taking this puppet thing very well. What happened the first time you were a puppet?" Buffy asked as she studied the picture.

"Oh, well, it was while I was with Wolfram & Hart. Do you know the kid's show 'Smile Time'?"

"Yeah, the one with the singing puppets. I kinda flipped across them once but watching them made me have a headache." Buffy's eyes widened, "Don't tell me that they turned you into a puppet?!"

"Not intentionally. The show was in danger of cancellation so the show's founder made a deal with a group of demons to keep it going. These demons used the show to suck out the souls of innocent children. I was doing some hands on investigating and I went into this room with the 'nest egg' and wham! I became a cursed muppet vampire with a soul." Angel finished and Buffy had to giggle.

"You mean to tell me that the reason that kids TV shows get sold to demons is because of Producers?" Buffy asked.

"And a few others like Happy Days. Anyway, we went in, took care of the demons who were in the forms of puppets, destroyed the nest egg, and saved kids everywhere. The spell took a couple of days to reverse. So, I spent two days as a puppet. The staff had a field day with it, especially Spike."

Buffy just nodded. She could understand why Spike would react like he did. Heck, she could just imagine Xander's reaction to 'Dead Boy's transformation. "So, you know what to expect."

"Yeah."

"We're going to leave in a couple of days. We have our jobs to do after all. What are you going to do?" Buffy asked. She didn't know what Angel could do. He was a man trapped in a puppet's body with half the world hating him and the other half not trusting him.

"What can I do? I'm a bloody puppet." Angel sighed again. "I don't really know what I can do. I was thinking… well… I know that I'm not exactly a champion vampire any more but… I got like 270 years of experience and maybe I can help your group out. If they, you know, trust me. Be a teacher or a researcher…" He looked down at his hands, "or a mascot."

Buffy had to laugh at the joke. Angel was actually making a joke about his condition? "A former vampire being the Slayers mascot, that would be cute but I think that we really need someone with your experience." Buffy said as she laughed. "Maybe you can teach the new slayers like you taught me."

"Could they even take me seriously? I look the type of person that could host a kiddie's show."

"Oh, I'm sure after a few rounds with you and they will take you very seriously." Buffy said firmly.

Angel glanced down and said, "Well… umm… yeah."

"What?" Buffy saw how uncomfortable Angel got again. In his puppet form, he expresses himself so much better than he was when he was a vampire despite the fact that he can't really manipulate his mouth.

Angel shuffled his feet and asked,"Are you finished baking yet?"

"Oh, the cookie analogy. Well, I don't know, yet. I guess that you never know when you're done baking. You need a little cooking yourself."

"Maybe. I don't feel all that different. I'm still me. I'm just shorter." Angel tilted his head in thought and added, "Okay, a lot shorter and made out of felt and without my vampire powers but I'm still me."

"I believe you."

Angel could feel his body tensing up. Thanks to his stupid puppet body, he has a much harder time controlling his already overwhelming feelings. He already done things that he would never do as a vampire. What happened between he and Buffy should remain in the past. They had been with other people and tried to move on with their lives. Still, he wanted to be with her. But, even thought he was not a vampire, he wasn't entirely human either. "Good. Ummm… well… can you watch the sunset with me?"

"Sure." Buffy picked up the puppet and put him into her lap. She wrapped her arms around him and took a deep breath. They sat there as the sun slowly slipped into the horizon. Unseen by them, Spike stood at the door way watching.

To be continued in the next story.


End file.
